Related Media

The commotion began shortly after Kenny Henry left his 10th-floor apartment in the University Tower complex to take out his trash on Thursday afternoon.

Police, who were at the building to serve a warrant, surrounded the downtown apartment complex and initially wouldn’t let Herny back into his apartment. Officers also warned nearby residents and workers in businesses to remain inside because the man had barricaded himself inside apartment No. 304 with several other people, and he refused to come out.

Officers reported hearing shots form inside the apartment. SWAT officers responded to 609 8th Ave. after the man, whose name was not immediately released, refused to negotiate with officers, said Sgt. Susan West, spokeswoman for the department.

After a standoff that lasted more than an hour, officers shot the suspect about 4:20 p.m., and the people who were inside with the man walked out unharmed. The man was transported to North Colorado Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. West said in a news release she did not know the man’s condition.

Henry said officers eventually let him take the stairs back to his apartment, and he heard the standoff unfold.

“(I) heard a lot of yelling,” he said. “And then the gunshots. My neighbor and I live on opposite sides of the hall and were running back and forth to see if we could see anything.”

Reuben Sanchez, doesn’t live at the apartments but came to find out what was going on when he heard the shots.

Sanchez said he heard from a friend a man known only as “Texas” was staying at the apartment complex trying to avoid police.

“He’s been around here for a while,” Sanchez said. “He had a warrant out for him, and was hiding out here.”

The police were still investigating the shooting late Thursday and did not release many details about what happened. However, they did say the man made continual threats toward officers during the standoff, according to the release.

A Tribune photo of the man sticking his head out of a window showed him pointing a black object out of the window. The object did not appear to be a gun. Police did not immediately provide details about whether the man was armed or about what kind of weapon he may have had.